$50,000 reward to find escaped murderer as search continues for third day

ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — Deputies have been searching for more than 48 hours for a murderer who escaped Tuesday morning while authorities were taking him to the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Ramone Alston, 30, described as a Black man wearing a gray T-shirt, khaki pants and white New Balance tennis shoes. When he escaped, Alston was wearing handcuffs connected to a belly chain with a black box over the junction. Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said Alston has a tattoo on his chest of the word “flame” with a star in the center and another tattoo of the word “niece” on his right arm.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information on Alston’s whereabouts to call 919-324-1082. The state is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Alston.

Alston, 30, escaped from the van on Tuesday as it arrived at the UNC Gastroenterology hospital in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where he was being taken for a medical appointment. He freed himself from his leg restraints and fled into the woods with handcuffs on, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

Authorities brought in dogs and they did find tracks that led searchers north of the hospital, but the scent ran cold, Orange County Emergency Services director Kirby Saunders said at a Wednesday news conference.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are supporting Orange County deputies and other state agencies in the search. Helicopters have swept over the area and tips are being called in, but so far, there are “no concrete leads” on Alston’s whereabouts, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood told the news conference.

There are about 105 people across the various agencies and offices working on the search, and more are on the way, according to the sheriff’s office.

Blackwood urged residents near the hospital to check their home cameras for any evidence of where Alston went, and to stay vigilant.

“He’s extremely cagey, extremely dangerous, and he has nothing to lose,” Blackwood said.

Alston has been serving a life sentence at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor since his conviction in the murder of 1-year-old Maleah Williams, who was shot on Christmas Day in 2015 from a passing car while she was playing outside her family’s apartment in Chapel Hill. She died three days later.

The transport officers involved are being interviewed to gather more details on Alston’s escape, Blackwood said. No one has been suspended, he said.

Alston has family and friends who live in the area, and Blackwood said they’ve contacted some family members, but their cooperation has been “varied.”

The reward for information leading to his capture has increased from $25,000 to $35,000 after a contribution from the U.S. Marshals Service, officials said.

While many calls from local residents haven’t been serious, the sheriff’s office has received a few tips about Alston being seen in Durham, and a team of investigators has been sent to the area to check them out, Blackwood said.

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